The present invention relates to apparatuses for screeding poured concrete and to attachments for skid steer or industrial utility vehicles.
Concrete screeds are used in the concrete industry to level freshly poured concrete. A wide variety of screeding implements or apparatuses are available ranging from manually operable lightweight screed to large-scale truss screeds. Mobile screeds are known that travel along the underlying substrate as the concrete is poured. More recent advances have improved the flatness and levelness of newly screeded concrete. In particular, laser leveling systems have been developed in which a planar reference laser used to position guide bars along which a screed travels to level the concrete. In another approach, a trowel may be used on the poured concrete to form guide lanes at the proper level along which the screed travels. Systems of this type are often used in road construction.
Accuracy, even under laser guidance, is difficult for the true manual screed, since these apparatuses rely upon the strength and coordination of the operator(s). Other screeds have been developed that are carried by utility vehicles, such as the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,203,244. In that apparatus, a screed attachment is pulled by the utility vehicle across the newly-poured slab. In this respect, the apparatus disclosed in the '244 patent is similar to other systems in which a screed platform is pulled by a vehicle. In particular, systems of this type require a smooth surface on which the vehicle is driven in order to ensure a smooth and level screed behind the vehicle.
Non-mobile systems are known that do not rely upon a vehicle pulling the screed platform. Instead, in these systems, the screed is supported on a telescoping boom, such as in the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,044,681. Non-mobile systems of this type avoid the need for a smooth driving surface required by the vehicle pulled screed. However this benefit is at the cost of an expensive stand-alone unit that may be cost-effective for large concrete pours but is too expensive for smaller applications, such as pouring sidewalks and patios.
Consequently, there is a need for a screed apparatus that is portable and inexpensive, but is capable of an accurate and level screeding.